Health Care Experts

NCPA Commentaries by John C Goodman

Dr. John C. Goodman, President and founder of the NCPA, is known as the father of Medical Savings Accounts and was dubbed by National Journal as "A winner of the devolution derby." He is an expert on tax, welfare, Social Security and health care reform. Dr. Goodman has testified before Congressional committees and regularly briefs member of Congress on these issues.

Congratulations to Al Gore. His new health care reform plan proposes a major step toward eliminating severe inequities in the tax law and giving needed relief to the millions of people who must buy their own health insurance or go without.

Medicare is facing a future financial collapse. By the time today's college students reach retirement age, workers will have to pay Medicare taxes equal to one out of every seven dollars earned, just to pay for benefits currently promised.

This week the Senate begins debate on the Democrat's Patient's Bill of Rights proposal, which seeks to substitute the opinions of Congress for the outcomes of the market and give trial lawyers a new feeding trough. Odds are the Senate will end the week by passing the Republican version, which is almost as bad.

Under a pilot program passed by Congress three years ago, tax free Medical Savings Accounts are available in the United States to the self-employed and firms with 50 or fewer employees. The act explicitly excludes large companies that have been on the cutting edge of change in health plan design.

Should parents be able to choose the school their children attend? While politicians from Florida to Arizona debate this issue, opponents of choice continually ignore the fact that America already has a de facto system of school choice; one that works well if you're not poor.

The new Social Security reform proposal put forward by Congressmen Bill Archer and Clay Shaw has a worthy aim: to secure future retirement benefits for today's young people without increasing taxes on workers or reducing benefits to retirees.

Should parents be able to choose the school their children attend? While legislators in Austin are debating this hot topic, many are pretending not to know that Texas already has a de facto system of school choice, and it works reasonably well so long as you're not poor.

With Medicare teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, President Clinton is proposing to add more beneficiaries and more costs. Under the president's new proposal, all Americans ages 62 to 64 (the Medicare eligibility age is 65) would be able to join Medicare in exchange for a monthly premium of $300.